Cessna 172P accident near East Hampton, New York, February 11, 1988
On February 11, 1988 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N52535, was destroyed in an accident near East Hampton, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 1988 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- East Hampton, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52535 · registry record · serial 17274550
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED EAST HAMPTON AIRPORT FOR A PLEASURE FLT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE PILOT CALLED ON FREQUENCY 122.7 STATING THAT HE HAD STRUCK SOME BIRDS AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THERE AS NO FURTHER TRANSMISSION AS TO HIS LOCATION, AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN THE OCEAN. THE PILOT IS PRESUMED FATAL. THE ONLY PART OF THE ACFT RECOVERED TO DATE IS THE HEAD REST. A BOAT IN THE AREA HAD HOOKED ON TO THE TAIL OF THE ACFT BUT COULD NOT HOLD IT. THE RESCUE EFFORT WAS DISCONTINUED DUE TO BAD WX. DIVERS REPORTED UNDERWATER VISIBILITY AS ZERO. THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 1 MILE OFFSHORE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,677 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: East Hampton Aire,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N52535 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.